The Delhi High Court has asked the shelter improvement board to identify buildings in the national capital and seek help from various agencies to make available night shelter space for homeless this winter.
"We clarify it is for the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB), wherever it feels the need, to identify the building which can be used as a night shelter and to approach the concerned agency for use as a night shelter and which concerned agency when so approached is directed to immediately take a decision thereon," a bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw, said.
The court's direction came after some NGOs raised a concern that the number of temporary night shelters are insufficient which compels the homeless to continue sleeping in the open in this cold weather.
Taking note of the grievance raised, the court said that during this winter "no one in the national capital should die of cold or be found sleeping on the road side".
The court also said that apart from St Columba's schools in central Delhi, DUSIB should identify other school buildings in the "vicinity of wherever need for more night shelters is felt and to approach the principals/managing committees of the said schools as well".
The court fixed the matter for further hearing on January 7, 2015.
The bench also said that "when it has suggested use of buildings meant in day time for other use, to be used as night shelters, we could not have meant those buildings to be used in day time also for night shelters.
"We clarify that DUSIB is free to approach the owners/ land owning agencies of other public buildings/ spaces which are available in the night for use as night shelters and DUSIB would vis-a-vis such buildings/public spaces be entitled to occupy the same in the night and to leave the same early morning so as to ensure the designated use thereof in the day time," it added.
